Preliminary Assessment of Self-Centring Steel Frame Systems with Energy Dissipation Devices

Abstract

The increasing emphasis on the resilience and sustainability of the built environment in modern building construction has led to the development of low-damage solutions such as rocking systems. In this context, the Life Cycle Thinking approach is essential to ensure both structural performance and the long-term environmental and economic sustainability of design decisions. Self-centring rocking systems minimize residual deformations and structural damage, enabling rapid post-earthquake recovery while reducing repair costs and resource consumption. This study investigates the application of re-centring rocking systems in lightweight steel structures. The focus is on the analysis of in-plane frames with controlled rocking mechanisms that include post-tensioned members and energy dissipators such as friction or viscous devices. A sensitivity analysis is performed to evaluate the structural response when different energy dissipation devices are integrated into the frame.